Coupling for vacuum cleaners



Jan. 8, 1929. 1,698,087

E. R. FIELD COUPLING FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed Jan. 22, 1923 PatentedJan. 8, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EGBERT R. FIELD, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO EUREKA VACUUM CLEANERCOMPANY, 01 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OI MICHIGAN.

COUPLING FOR VACUUM CLEANERS.

Original application filed March 20, 1922, Serial No. 454,060. Dividedand this a 1923. Serial No. 614,326.

The invention relates to vacuum cleaning apparatus and has for itsobject the provision of a simple construction of coupling for securingthe bag to the discharge of the fan casing, which permits of quicklysecuring or Figure 3 is atransverse section through the discharge of thefan casing and the coupling;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion.

of the coupling.

The vacuum cleaner in the present instance has the motor casing 1, thefan casing 2 and the suction tool or nozzle 3 and is supported by therolls 4 near opposite ends of the suction tool, and the castor wheel 5near the rear end of the motor casing.

For detachabl securing the dirt retaining bag 6 to the tu ular outlet ordischarge 7 of the fan casing 2, I have provided a coupling having asnap look. In detail, 8 is a tubular coupling member secured to theinlet end of the bag and adapted totelescopically engage over thetubular discharge 7 of the fan casing. This tubular coupling member hasthe annular outwardly extending bead 9 in its periphery forming in itsinner face an annular groove adapted to receive the securing device 10which is in the form of aresilient wire normally occupying the annulargroove so that it will not interfere with the telescopic movement of thecoupling member over the discharge. The bead has in its periphery thespaced apertures 11 as well as the zig-zag aperture 12, the latterhaving circumferentially extending end slots with laterally ofisetadjacent ends which-are connected by a transverse slot. The wire 10 hasoutwardly bent ortions 13 engaging in the apertures 11 and also hasoutwardly extending arms 14 and 15 engaging respectively in the near itsend in which the wire 10 pplicetion filed January 22,

end slots of the zig-zag aperture 12 so that accidental disengagement ofthe wire from the tubular coupling member is prevented. One end 16 ofone of the end slots of the zig zag aperture is enlarged to permit ofthe passage of the heads 17 and 18 uponthe ends of the arms 14 and 15respectively to manually engage or disengage the wire with or from' thetubular coupling member. The tubular" discharge 7 of the fan casing isprovided with: the annular roove 19 in its outer periphery is engageablewhen the latter is contracted to thereby secure the tubular couplingmember to thetubular discharge.

To hold the wire in contracted position, the heads 17 and 18 interlockafter they have been forced past each other to a position such as shownin Figure 4, the arms of the wire being resilient to permit of manualmovement of these heads past each other to this osition. The shoulders20 and 21 formed by t 1e edges of the transverse slot of the zig-zagaperture 12 engage the arms 14 and 15 respectively of the wire when theheads are interlocked to prevent further movement of the arms andfurther contracting movement of the wire. When the wire is in engagementwith the annular groove of the tubular discharge its outwardly extendingbends are still in engagement with their respective apertures of thetubularfcoupling member so that the bag is firmly secured to thedischarge of the fan casing.

From the above description, it will be readily seen that I have provideda-simple construction of coupling for securing the bag to the fancasing, this coupling being so constructed that the bag may be quicklyremoved from or secured to the fan casing. Also, that the coupling has asnap lock which may be easily operated.

What I claim as my invention is: v

1. A coupling for vacuum cleaners including the discharge tube of thefan casing having an annular groove in its periphery nea r its outerend, a tubular coupling member telescopically engageable over saiddischarge ner eri her ando enin s into said roove lce tube and having anannular groove in its in-- her engageable in the groove in said couplingmember and havinga projection extending through one of the'openingstherein and cooperating ends extending through another 0 the openingstherein, said securing member being normal y expanded and housed withinthe groove in the coupling member but being contractible to engage inthe annular groove in said dischar e tube and having its cooperatingends a apted to yieldably interlock with each other when in contractedposition.

ing the tubular discharge of the fan casing, and an annular groove inthe periphery of said discharge near its outer end, a coupling membertelescopically engageable over said discharge and having an annulargroove in its periphery with openings into said groove, one of saidopenings having a zig-zag shape, and means for securing said couplingmember to said discharge comprising a resilient member engageable in thegroove in said coupling member and having a projection extending throughone of the Openings therein, and cooperating ends extending through thezigzag opening therein, said securing member being contractible. toengage in the annular groove in said discharge and having itscooperating ends adapted to yieldably lock with each other when incontracted position, the shoulders formed upon said zig-zag openinglimiting the movement of the cooperating ends of said securing memberwhen locked with each other.

3. A coupling for vacuum cleaners including a disc arge tube of the fancasing, a band telescopically engageable with. said discharge tube, ahollow head on said band, a

- contractible member within said bead con tractible to grip saiddischarge tube, a plurality of projections on said member adapted toreject through the outer'wall of the said hollow bead when the said.member is contracted to prevent relative longitudinal movement of theband with respect to said discharge tube, additional projections on saidmember adapted to project through the outer wall of the hollow bead,heads on said'last mentioned projections adapted to be interlocked forholding said member contracted I and means formed in the wall of saidbead for guiding said heads into inter-locking engagement.

4. The combination with a discharge tube of a vacuum cleaner and a dirtretaining bag,

of means for attaching the bag to the tube,

said means including a band secured to the.

bag and surrounding the discharge tube, said band having a zig-zag slotand an opening therein, and a member surrounding said discharge tubewithin said band adapted to grip said discharge tube, said member havinga portion projecting through said opening and having members projectinthrough said slot adapted to be interlocked or holding the memberaforesaid in gripping engagement with said tube. V

5. The combination with a discharge tube of a vacuum cleaner and a dirtretaining bag, of means for attaching the bag to the tube, said meansincluding a band secured to the bag and surrounding the discharge tube,a resilient member surrounding said discharge tube within said bandadapted to be contracted to grip said discharge tube, said member"having cooperating interlocking ends pro- 2. A couphng for vacuumcleaners II1Clud -jecting through a slot in said band, and meansassociated with said slot for limiting the contracting movement of saidresilient member.

6. The combination with a discharge tube of a vacuum cleaner and a dirtretaining bag, of means for attaching the bag to the tube, said meansincluding a band secured to the bag and surrounding the discharge tube,said band being provided with relatively ofiset slots, a resilientmember surrounding said discharge tube within said band ada ted to becontracted to grip said discharge tu e, said member having cooperatinginterlocking ends projecting through and operable in said slotsrespectively.

7 The combination with a discharge tube of a vacuum cleaner and a dirtretaining bag, of means for attaching the bag to the tube,- said meansincluding a band secured to the bag and surrounding the discharge tube,said band being provided with ofiset slots, a resil ient membersurrounding said discharge tube within said band adapted to becontracted to grip said discharge tube, said member having cooperatinginterlocking ends projecting through and operable in said slotsrespectively, and means associated with said slots for limiting thecontracting movement of said resilient member.'

8. A coupling for vacuum cleaners including a discharge tube of a fancasing provided with an annular recess in its outer periphery adjacentits end, a tubular coupling member telescopically engageable with saiddischarge tube to surround the end portion thereof, said tubular couplinmemberprovided with an annular outwar ly extendlng bead adapted.

to register radially with the said recess, said bead havlng a pair ofopenings, a resilient clampin member surrounding said dischargetube anadapted in its unclamped position tolie within the bead whereby saidcoupling,

member and discharge tube may be freely relatively longitudinally movedinto said telescoped position, means whereby said resilient clampingmember may be contracted to relative longitudinal movement of thedischarge tube and coupling member is prevented.

9. A coupling for vacuum cleaners including a discharge tube of a fancasing provided with an annular recess in its outerperiphery adjacentits end, a tubular coupling member telescopically engageable withsaid-discharge tube to surround the end portion thereof, said tubularcoupling member provided with an annular outwardly extending beadadapted to register radially with the said recess, said bead having apair of openings, a resilient clamping member surrounding said dischargetube and adapted in its unclamped position to lie within the beadwhereby said coupling member and discharge tube may be freely relativelylongitudinally moved into said telescoped position, means carried by theclamping member extending radially through one of said openings forcontracting said resilient clamping member to move the same radiallyinwardly for clamping engagement in the said annular recess and forlooking said member in its contracted position sald resilient clampingmember being provided with a portion return bent radially to extendoutwardly through the other of said openings, said return bent portionbeing engageable in its said contracted position, with one of theopenings in the said bead whereby relative longitudinal movement of thedischarge tube and coupling member is prevented.

10. The combination with the discharge tube of a vacuum cleaner and adirt retaining bag, of means for attaching the bag to the tube, saidmeans including a band secured to'the bag and surrounding the dischargetube, a contractible member surrounding said discharge tube and carriedby said band, interlocking projections carried by said member forlocking the said member in contracted position and means on said bandfor guiding said projections into interlocking engagement with eachother.

11. The combination with the discharge tube of a vacuum cleaner, and adirt retaining bag, of means for attaching the bag to the tube, saidmeans including a band secured to the bag and surrounding the dischargetube, a hollow head on said band, a contractible member arranged withinsaid hollow bead and surrounding said discharge tube, interlockingprojections on said contractible member for locking the same incontracted position, and shoulders on said bead arranged to guide saidprojections into interlocking engagement with each other.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EGBERT R. FIELD.

